Trump says hundreds of millions of barrels of oil heading to US from Venezuela

US President Donald Trump on Monday said hundreds of millions of barrels of oil from Venezuela are coming to the United States.

“We have a great relationship. We have hundreds of millions of barrels of oil coming out of Venezuela, going to Houston, in different places to have it refined,” Trump said at a small business summit in the White House.

The president characterized the flow of Venezuelan crude as part of what he called “almost really a partnership.”

After months of heightened tensions, the US captured Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro on Jan. 3, triggering a series of developments, including Venezuela’s vice president and oil minister Delcy Rodriguez being sworn in as interim president, changes to the country’s flagship oil law, and the release of some political prisoners.